Dynamic content allocation and optimization

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for the optimized allocation of content within a universe of inventory are described. For example, a method may include receiving content comprising at least one characteristic and at least one goal. A universe of inventory may be accessed that comprises a plurality of targets which may be assigned into a plurality of segments based on at least one demographic vector. An allocation optimization model may be generated based on the at least one content characteristic, the at least one goal and the plurality of segments. The content may be presented to the targets based on the allocation optimization model. Viewing data may be received that comprises data associated with target consumption of the content and the allocation optimization module may be re-optimized based on the viewing data. Additional factors, such as resource constraints and/or filtering rules, may be used when re-optimizing the allocation optimization module.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/762,115, filed Feb. 7, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/595,889, filed on Feb. 7, 2012, and61/596,460, filed on Feb. 8, 2012, the contents of all of which areincorporated by reference in their entireties as if fully set forthherein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the allocation of contentwithin a universe of available inventory, and more specifically tooptimizing the allocation of content based on objectives of contentproviders and the progress of the objectives based on recipientinteraction with the content.

BACKGROUND

Purchasers of advertising space, for example television advertisements,typically place advertisements according to a media plan. Media buyersattempt to place advertisements based on fairly broad demographics, suchas gender, age, employment, income or other definable groups which maybe associated with measured television program or commercial ratings.For example, media buyers may develop media plans to place theiradvertisements in an inventory of advertising slots during televisionprograms in order to reach a certain portion of a target demographics.However, conventional media campaigns are subject to certaininefficiencies, because the broad demographics inaccurately map toactual audiences that consume the content and due to an inability toreliably determine the progress of an active campaign. As such, a mediacampaign using traditional techniques is not able to dynamicallyoptimize content distribution to content targets based on accurate,substantially real-time data.

SUMMARY

This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices andmethods described, as these may vary. The terminology used in thedescription is for the purpose of describing the particular versions orembodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

In an embodiment, a system for optimizing content allocation maycomprise a processor and a non-transitory, computer-readable storagemedium in operable communication with the processor. Thecomputer-readable storage medium may contain one or more programminginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receivecontent comprising at least one characteristic and at least one goal;access a universe of inventory comprising a plurality of targets; assignthe plurality of targets into a plurality of segments based on at leastone demographic vector; generate an allocation optimization model basedon the at least one content characteristic, the at least one goal andthe plurality of segments; present the content to the plurality oftargets based on the allocation optimization model; receive viewing datacomprising data associated with target consumption of the content; andre-optimize the allocation optimization module based on the viewingdata.

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for optimizing contentallocation may comprise, by a processor: receiving content comprising atleast one characteristic and at least one goal; accessing a universe ofinventory comprising a plurality of targets; assigning the plurality oftargets into a plurality of segments based on at least one demographicvector; generating an allocation optimization model based on the atleast one content characteristic, the at least one goal and theplurality of segments; presenting the content to the plurality oftargets based on the allocation optimization model; receiving viewingdata comprising data associated with target consumption of the content;and re-optimizing the allocation optimization module based on theviewing data.

In an embodiment, a computer program product comprising a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having control logic stored therein causing acomputer to optimize the allocation of content, the control logiccomprising: computer-readable program code configured to receive contentcomprising at least one characteristic and at least one goal;computer-readable program code configured to access a universe ofinventory comprising a plurality of targets; computer-readable programcode configured to assign the plurality of targets into a plurality ofsegments based on at least one demographic vector; computer-readableprogram code configured to generate an allocation optimization modelbased on the at least one content characteristic, the at least one goaland the plurality of segments; computer-readable program code configuredto receive at least one resource constraint; computer-readable programcode configured to present the content to the plurality of targets basedon the allocation optimization model; computer-readable program codeconfigured to receive viewing data comprising data associated withtarget consumption of the content, data associated with targetconsumption of the content comprising viewer impressions of the content;computer-readable program code configured to re-optimize the allocationoptimization module based on the viewing data; and computer-readableprogram code configured to update a progress of the at least one goalbased on the viewing data as filtered by the at least one filteringrule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative user interface for associating spots withparticular demographic groups according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative user interface for presenting contentrotations for certain demographics according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative user interface for presenting spotswithin different zones according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative user interface for configuring certainaspects of a campaign according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative user interface for configuring certainaspects of a campaign according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative user interface for configuring certainaspects of a campaign according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative user interface for displaying informationassociated with a campaign according to an embodiment.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a method of optimizingdistribution of targeted media rotations according to some embodiments.

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of a method for dynamically generating anallocation optimization model for advertising content according to someembodiments.

FIG. 10 depicts a block diagram of illustrative internal hardware thatmay be used to contain or implement program instructions according to anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Throughout this disclosure, where compositions are described as having,including, or comprising specific components, or where processes aredescribed as having, including or comprising specific process steps, itis contemplated that compositions of the present teachings also consistessentially of, or consist of, the recited components, and that theprocesses of the present teachings also consist essentially of, orconsist of, the recited process steps.

In this disclosure, where an element or component is said to be includedin and/or selected from a list of recited elements or components, itshould be understood that the element or component can be any one of therecited elements or components and can be selected from a groupconsisting of two or more of the recited elements or components.Further, it should be understood that elements and/or features of acomposition, an apparatus, a system, and/or a method described hereincan be combined in a variety of ways without departing from the spiritand scope of the present teachings, whether explicit or implicit herein.

The use of the terms “include,” “includes,” “including,” “have,” “has,”or “having” should be generally understood as open-ended andnon-limiting unless specifically stated otherwise. As used in thisdocument, the term “comprising” means “including, but not limited to.”

The use of the singular herein includes the plural (and vice versa)unless specifically stated otherwise. Moreover, the singular forms “a,”“an,” and “the” include plural forms unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. In addition, where the use of the term “about” is before aquantitative value, the present teachings also include the specificquantitative value itself, unless specifically stated otherwise. As usedherein, the term “about” refers to a ±10% variation from the nominalvalue.

It should be understood that the order of steps or order for performingcertain actions is immaterial so long as the present teachings remainoperable. Moreover, two or more steps or actions may be conductedsimultaneously.

The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describingthe particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended tolimit the scope.

A media buyer may have one or more products or brands, with associatedtarget demographics, as well as a set of goals for this specificcampaign/plan. Goals are typically expressed as a combination of budget($ cost) and a certain reach and frequency of exposure to a campaign orcommercial. The buyer then will try to meet, or get as close as possibleto, the reach goal while attempting to stay within budget. The buyerwill look at ratings data, inventory pricing, and commercial or TV spotrotations, and will try to come up with the optimal allocation ofinventory against the goals. Buyers may perform this process for asingle product with a single TV spot, or for a single product withmultiple TV spots (with different target demo audiences for example), orfor multiple products (each with one or more spots), or even formultiple advertisers (with one or more spots each). Such buyers may buylarge broad reach TV media (for example national or regionaldistribution) and may not be able to differentiate within the footprint(the only way to presently fine-tune campaigns using multiple spots totarget demographics may be through managing rotations or manuallyspecifying specific spots to air with specific networks, day-parts orprograms).

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods foroptimizing the placement of content within available inventory. Inparticular, embodiments provide for a content optimization systemconfigured to optimize the allocation of content to recipients based onone or more factors, including, without limitation, demographic vectors,population segment characteristics, goals, feedback, resourceconstraints, resource values, filtering rules, substantially real-timeand/or historical viewing data, or a combination thereof.

Although advertisers and advertising content may be used in examples inthis disclosure, embodiments are not so limited, as any type and form ofcontent capable of operating according to embodiments is contemplatedherein. Non-limiting examples of content include messages, entertainmentprogramming, and/or informational programming available over any type ofapplicable medium, including, but not limited to, television, radio, andelectronic communication media (for example, Internet web sites,software applications, including mobile applications, “mobile apps” or“apps”).

A recipient may generally include any physical device or definableelement capable of receiving content through a network or othercommunication system, such as a cable television network, satellitetelevision network, the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, a WAN, computingdevice advertising systems (e.g., advertisements, such as banneradvertisements, provided through mobile device applications), orcombinations thereof. Television networks may include standarddefinition (SD) and high definition (HD) networks. A physical device mayinclude any end-point of media transmission, including a computingdevice (e.g., a personal computer (PC), laptop computer, and/or mobilecomputing device, including, without limitation, smart phones, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), and tablet computing devices), SD and HDtelevisions, set-top-boxes, and combinations thereof. Definable elementsmay include, but are not limited to, ad-insertion zones, physicalregions, programs, periods of the day, real-time conditionals, andcombinations thereof.

According to embodiments, the content optimization system may beconfigured to operate across physical device platforms and networkssimultaneously. For example, a particular content campaign, such as anadvertising campaign, may be managed by the content optimization systemto set-top-boxes over a cable television system, to mobile computingdevices using standard network communication protocols (for instance,Ethernet or Wi-Fi) over an Internet service provider network, and tosmart phone devices over standard telecommunication protocols (forinstance, third Generation (3G), fourth Generation (4G), long-termevolution (LTE), or the like).

Content may generally include any type of data capable of being receivedand consumed by a recipient. Illustrative and non-restrictive examplesof content include advertising, entertainment programs, informationalprograms, comprising video, audio, graphical, and/or animated content.

Inventory may generally include a universe of available recipients atone or more particular times. In an embodiment, inventory may comprise aplurality of inventory slots, with each slot including one or moretargets at a particular time. For example, an inventory slot maycomprise a set of set-top-boxes within a cable network during prime timeviewing hours on a particular television channel. Each inventory slotmay be associated with a value or price indicating the cost associatedwith placing content therein.

According to some embodiments, the content optimization system may beconfigured to optimize the placement of content within the universe ofinventory. Optimization may be configured according to various systemusers. For example, a cable network user may have a particular set ofgoals that may be different or partially different than the goals of anadvertiser user. The cable network user may have goals directed toward,among other things, maximizing advertising revenue from advertisersplacing advertising content in available inventory slots as well asmeeting their own internal advertising goals with the least valuableinventory, for instance, in order to preserve higher value inventory forgenerating revenue. The advertiser user may have goals directed towardreaching content characteristics, such as certain demographic targets,within a budget within the time allotted for a particular advertisingcampaign.

According to some embodiments, the content optimization system mayinclude processes such as the planning, buying, and allocation ofcontent inventory, including supporting and/or facilitating all or someof these processes. For instance, all or part of a media plan may beoptimized automatically, with or without manual optimizations, and theoptimization results displayed in a quantifiable manner using terms,numbers, and/or graphical representations. Embodiments provide that thecontent optimization system may be configured to provide for theplanning, buying and allocation of content and/or inventory overmultiple heterogeneous systems including cable television network,satellite television network, Internet service provide network,telecommunications network (for example, 3G, 4G, LTE, or the like,mobile communication technologies) and any other type of system inexistence now or in the future capable of providing content to targets.

Embodiments may be configured with demographic information associatedwith various elements used by the content optimization system, such astargets, networks and definable elements. In an embodiment, thedemographic information may be associated with one or more contentcharacteristics comprising intended demographics of the subject content.For example, if a particular content offering is intended for malesbetween the ages of 18-25, then the content characteristics of thecontent offering may comprise segments and/or demographic vectorsincluding this portion of the target population. Such information may bestored in any capable storage structure known to those having ordinaryskill in the art, including databases, tables, logical storage devices,memory structures on a storage device, and the like. For example, thecontent optimization system may store, or may access to, a set ofdetailed demographic vectors (S) for each individual physical target(T), where each demographic vector (S_(i)) represents a specificpopulation segment. The population segments, may include, for exampleand without limitation, income level, gender, number of residents in ahousehold, age ranges, employment, education levels, real-timeconditionals (for example, weather, news, stock markets, and the like)or any other definable demographic. In one embodiment, demographicvector data may be obtained in real-time from third-party sources, suchas wire services, news outlets, Internet sites, web pages, or otherservice providers.

A demographic vector may be configured to include an index representinga specific value, or attribute score, within a segment. For instance,income ranges such as: “less-than $40 k”, “$40 k-$60 k”, “$60 k-$80 k”,“$80 k-$100 k”, “greater-than $100 k.” The values of the attributescores within the vector may represent how the associated target (T)scores against these segment values. For example, an ad-insertion zonecould have a vector for a “family size” segment configured as follows:

$\begin{matrix}{{S_{0801,{Family\_ Size}}\begin{pmatrix}{{single\_ no}{\_ kids}} \\{{single\_ with}{\_ kids}} \\{{couple\_ no}{\_ kids}} \\{{couple\_ with}{\_ kids}}\end{pmatrix}} = \begin{pmatrix}301 \\12 \\178 \\739\end{pmatrix}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

The family size vector may indicate the family size characteristics ofparticular zone. This illustrative family size vector indicates thatthis particular zone has a relatively high density of couples withchildren and a very low density of single parents with kids. The valuesof the vector may be indexed according to various methods. In theillustrative family size vector, the values are indexed from 0 to 1000.In another example, a physical target may represent a particularhousehold that may be associated with a “car propensity” vectorindicating the propensity to purchase a particular type of automobile:

$\begin{matrix}{{S_{X,{Propensity\_ Car}}\begin{pmatrix}{sedan} \\{sports} \\{minivan} \\{SUV} \\{truck}\end{pmatrix}} = \begin{pmatrix}221 \\98 \\897 \\556 \\131\end{pmatrix}} & (2)\end{matrix}$The illustrative “car propensity” vector may indicate that the householdis likely to buy a minivan or an SUV with a much smaller likelihood ofpurchasing a sports car or truck.

The content optimization system may be configured according toembodiments to store and/or access any number of such vectors associatedwith various recipients, including physical targets, zones, and thelike. Each physical target may be associated with any number ofdemographic vectors. According to some embodiments, each vector may havea defined set of indices and a defined range of values. The values maybe raw values, adjusted according to one more processes, such asnormalization processes, or limited by certain constraints. For example,some example demographic vectors may comprise binary values. Thefollowing example shows a “number of children” vector for household Xindicating the number of children in the household:

$\begin{matrix}{{S_{X,{{Nr\_ of}{\_ Children}}}\begin{pmatrix}{none} \\{one} \\{two} \\{three} \\{{four} +}\end{pmatrix}} = \begin{pmatrix}0 \\0 \\1 \\0 \\0\end{pmatrix}} & (3)\end{matrix}$According to the “number of children” vector, household X has two (2)children. As the example illustrates, there may be restrictions to thevalues a vector may take. In this embodiment, because the householdcannot have two discrete numbers representing the number of children inthe household, only value for the number of children can be one (1),while the others must be zero (0). Accordingly, the values for the“number of children” vector always add up to 1.

According to some embodiments, the content optimization system maycomprise a physical universe (U) that comprises a number of physicaltargets (T), which may be expressed as follows:

$\begin{matrix}{U = {\sum\limits_{i}\; T_{i}}} & (4)\end{matrix}$Where every target T_(i), may be defined by a set of vectors (S):

$\begin{matrix}{T_{i} = {\sum\limits_{j}\; S_{i,j}}} & (5)\end{matrix}$Where each vector (S) may define scores against segmentation values:

$\begin{matrix}{S_{i,j} = \begin{pmatrix}x_{1} \\x_{2} \\x_{3} \\\ldots \\x_{n}\end{pmatrix}} & (6)\end{matrix}$

Each of the demographic vectors may be summed, multiplied, combined, oroptimized in any manner capable of determining the most effective mediacontent for each individual defined target. The rotations of mediacontent distributed over the universe may then be customized, by target,zone, time period, or any other definable entity to generate the mosteffective results.

Embodiments provide for a content optimization system configured toaccess and/or provide for the configuration of a media plan, campaign,or other definable content presentation. A campaign may generally referto a series of content presentations (e.g., “creatives”) generallyrelated by a common idea or theme. An illustrative campaign is anadvertising campaign comprising various advertisements involving acommon product or service. Advertisers may have several campaignsrunning simultaneously. Each campaign is often multiple weeks in length,for which advertisers' creatives, targeting, and daily budget oftenchange. A media buyer may purchase a large set of inventory (e.g., timeslots on a television station, display elements, such as a banneradvertisement, on a web page, etc.) and decide how to map all of thecampaign content product onto the purchased inventory, for example,based on viewer data, budget allocation, and the like.

For example, a media plan may cover multiple brands, or products, eachof which may have a distinct target demographic, budgets and reachgoals. Reach may generally refer to the number, or percentage, of thetarget demographic group that will be exposed to the content, mediaplan, and the like. Each brand may have a set of target demographicsassociated with it. According to some embodiments, the contentoptimization system, along with the individual content providers, mayenter and store such demographics. Embodiments provide that thedemographics may be configured according to provide various levels ofdetail and. For example a target demographic may be defined as “males18-25” instead of the more generic “males 18-45,” which is a typicaldemographic used in the television industry.

The content optimization system may be configured according to someembodiments to allow for the configuration of one or more goals and/orsets of goals. Goals may be configured according to various methods andmay be directed toward one or more different objectives. For instance,goals may be set in terms of many parameters including, but not limitedto, budget per product/brand, desired reach, flight (for example, thedates when the media plan is scheduled to be active), frequency (forexample, the average number of times a target is exposed to the mediaplan), or a frequency cap (for example, an upper bound on thefrequency).

In an embodiment, a goal may be at least partially defined by acost-per-mille (CPM) parameter, which may generally refer to the cost ofreaching absolute numbers of viewers. For instance, CPM may beconfigured as the cost to reach 1000 people. Similarly, a targeted CPM(TCPM) parameter may be configured as the cost to reach 1000 people in atarget recipient population. TCPM may be calculated asTCPM=CPM/“fraction,” where “fraction” represents the fraction of thetotal universe that is actually in the target recipient population. In anon-limiting example where the target recipient population is males, ifthe CPM for a particular media plan is $50 and half of the viewers aremale (fraction=0.5), then the TCPM may be determined by the following:$100 (=$50/0.5).

In another embodiment, a goal may be at least partially defined by arating points parameter. A rating point may generally refer to onepercentage point of the target demographic. For example, if a media planis targeted at males, and the media plan consists of 10 insertions intoprograms that each have a rating of 5 for males (for instance, meaningthat an average of 5% of the male population will watch these programs),then this plan may deliver 50 (=10×5) gross rating points (GRPs).

In a further embodiment, a goal may be at least partially defined by acost-per-point (CPP) parameter, which may generally refer to the cost todeliver one rating point. For instance, a media plan costing $10,000 todeliver 50 rating points would have a CPP of $200 according to thefollowing: $10,000/50=$200. According to some embodiments, ratings maybe dependent on various factors, including, without limitation, programsand parts of the day, such as morning news (5:00 am-9:00 am), eveningnews, primetime, and/or other definable periods. Such parameters are notexhaustive, and any other quantifiable parameters may be used.

The content optimization system may be configured according toembodiments to optimize one or more media plans and/or various aspectsthereof. For instance, the content optimization system may use thedifference in demographic vectors per zone, or other physical targets,described above, to calculate the optimal rotation as to that zonedriven by the goals of the media plan. In an embodiment, the contentoptimization system may perform optimization automatically, for example,as soon as the targeting screens are initially opened, or when a userselects an “Auto-Optimization” button, and/or any other methodconfigured to trigger optimization. In addition, example systems mayallow users to view optimized media placements. In this manner, a user,such as an advertiser, may manually modify, override or otherwise refinemedia placements or aspects thereof.

Embodiments provide that the content optimization system mayautomatically and dynamically optimize placements based on any number ofdefined goals, such as the goals and related parameters described above.For instance, the content optimization system may be configured tooptimize placement according to reach, CPM, TCPM, and combinationsthereof. In addition, the content optimization system may allow foroptimization based on multiple parameters at once. For instance, thecontent optimization system may be configured to optimize placementbased on reach, but may do so only with a defined budget goal. Thus, thecontent optimization system may attempt to come as close as possible tomaximizing reach, while not exceeding the limit set by the budget goal.Any combination of parameters may be used to guide optimization, andmultiple parameters may be combined in any logical manner according toany reasonable formula or set of priorities.

In an embodiment, the targeting universe may be divided into zones, witheach zone being associated with one or more vectors. For example, a zonemay be associated with a defined, fixed set of vectors in whichdefinitions and data are preloaded from one or more data sources. Thecontent optimization system may be configured with one or more mediaplans, including preloaded fixed media plans, variable plans,user-configured plans, and combinations thereof. All data may beaggregated data at the zone level. The content optimization system mayallow users to configure multiple advertisers with one spot each, or oneadvertiser with multiple products/brands with one spot perproduct/brand. In addition, the optimization goals may be configured interms of budgets per client/product in combination with other goals,such as reach. Accordingly, the content optimization system may maximizereach (i.e., come as close as possible to all goals) against fixedbudgets.

According to some embodiments, the content optimization system mayprovide user interfaces configured to present aspects of placing contentwithin the universe of inventory. For instance, a user interface may beconfigured to present various information associated with the content,including, but not limited to, the CPM, TCPM, or other target value, atany given time, providing instant feedback on the value that is beingadded by the optimization system. Such information may be presented foreach content offering, such as an entertainment program, informationalprogram, and/or advertisement, including for each spot, product, brand,and the like for each advertisement.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative user interface for associating spots withparticular demographic groups according to some embodiments. As shown inFIG. 1, the user interface 100 may display the spots 105 which have beendefined as well as a number of target demographic groups 110 that may beassociated with the spots. The demographic groups 110 may be representedby labels which may more specifically define each demographic group (forexample, income less-than $50,000, income less-than $100,000, gender,age range, and the like). The user interface 100 may allow a user tobuild associations between the spots 105 and target demographics 110 bya graphical user interface element 115, such as check box.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative user interface for presenting contentrotations for certain demographics according to some embodiments. Asshown in FIG. 2, a user interface 200 may present information associatedwith advertisement spots 205 and demographic groups 210. The userinterface 200 provides percentages 215 representing how each spot may beplaced within a particular demographic group 210. For instance, twospots target the “Urban Marrieds” group equally in the example.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative user interface for presenting spotswithin different zones according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG.3, a user interface 300 may be configured to present a number of spots305 divided over one or more zones 310 in a network, such as a cabletelevision network. According to some embodiments, the spots 305 may bedivided over the physical zones 310 to which the advertisements aretargeted, as represented by the percentages 315 associated with eachspot for each physical zone.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative user interface for configuring certainaspects of a campaign according to a first embodiment. As shown in FIG.4, a user interface 400 may be configured to present one or morecampaigns 405, 410, 415 to a user. Each campaign 405, 410, 415 maycomprise campaign content 420, such as an advertising video. One or morecampaign characteristics 425 may be associated with each campaign,including, without limitation, a campaign tactic, advertising agency,campaign product, start and end dates, and a campaign type. Through theuser interface 400, a user may, among other actions, access one or moreone or more campaigns 405, 410, 415, review campaign information, and/orconfigure campaign properties, such as select the campaign type.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative user interface for configuring certainaspects of a campaign according to a second embodiment. As shown in FIG.5, a user interface 500 may be configured to present one or morecampaigns 505, 510 to a user. Each campaign 505, 510, may comprisecampaign content 520, such as a multimedia presentation of a specifiedduration (for example, a standard 30 second time slot). One or morecampaign characteristics 515 may be associated with each campaign,including, without limitation, a category, a title, a description, aflight duration, and/or campaign customization. A user interface elementmay be provided to allow a user to add/remove segmentation 525information associated with the campaign and/or a specific spot.Selection of the add/remove segmentation 525 element may cause anadd/remove segmentation window 530 to be displayed for adding and/orremoving segments. From the user interface 500, a user may select toview flights using one or more flight selection 535 elements. Forinstance, a user may select to view published flights, pending flights,and/or add a new flight. Selection to add a new flight may operate togenerate new flight configuration 540 elements for setting up a newflight, including, without limitation, a tile, description, category,status, number of flights, number of markets, and/or a selection elementto add the newly configured flight.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative user interface for configuring certainaspects of a campaign according to a third embodiment. As shown in FIG.6, a user interface 600 may be configured to present at least onecampaign 605 to a user. The campaign 605 may comprise campaign content620 and one or more campaign characteristics 515, such as a category, atitle, a description, a flight duration, an add/remove segment element,and/or an add/remove constraint element 625. Selection of the add/removeconstraint 625 element may cause an add/remove constraint window 610 tobe displayed for adding and/or removing constraints. The add/removeconstraint window 610 may provide graphical elements for specifyingconstraint information 630 and/or for selecting constraints 635, such aszone constraints.

FIG. 7 depicts an illustrative user interface for displaying informationassociated with a campaign according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG.7, a user interface 700 may be configured for displaying one or morecampaigns 715, 720, 725 and markets 730 where the campaigns may beoperating. The information displayed through the user interface 700 maybe filtered 705 using various filtering options, such as filtering forphysical or logical targets, markets, campaigns, types of targets, orthe like. Aggregate data 710 for the campaigns 715, 720, 725 may bedisplayed on the user interface 700 showing the percentages of eachcampaign as a portion of 100% of a campaign. In addition, campaign data735 may be displayed for each campaign, for example, as a percentage ofeach campaign 715, 720, 725 for each market 730.

According to some embodiments, selection of a particular market 730 maycause a market detail window 740 to be displayed. The market detailwindow 740 may provide detailed information about the market, such asthe components of the market 745, such as zip codes, maps, populationdata, and any other pertinent data associated with the market. Themarket detail window 740 may also provide information associated withthe segment coverage 750 of a particular campaign or campaigns 715, 720,725.

According to some embodiments, the information provided through the userinterface 700 may comprise information in various states, such ashistorical data, substantially real-time data, and/or projected data.For example, a user may access the user interface 700 to obtain viewingdata and/or to ascertain the progress of a campaign in reaching theobjectives thereof.

FIG. 8 depicts an illustrative flow diagram for a method of optimizingdistribution of targeted media rotations according to some embodiments.As shown in FIG. 8, a universe may be defined 810, for example, auniverse comprised of media targets. For each media target, demographicvectors may be defined 820, as described above, and stored 830 in one ormore storage locations, such as databases, tables, and/or otherelectronic storage elements. A goal may be defined 840 reflecting thesuccess of the targeted media distribution. The content optimizationsystem may optimize the rotation of targeted media 850 content based onthe various factors, including, without limitation, demographic vectors,the goal of the targeted rotation, resource constraints, inventoryvalue, filtering rules, viewer data, or combinations thereof. Theeffectiveness of the rotation may be calculated 860. If theeffectiveness of the rotation meets or exceeds the goal 870, therotation may be kept in place. If the results of the rotation areunacceptable, the rotation may be re-optimized 850 to provide betterresults and the effectiveness re-calculated 860.

According to some embodiments, content spots may be dynamicallyallocated based on feedback and resource constraints. In a non-limitingexample involving advertising content, the content optimization systemmay be configured to optimally allocate advertising spots to maximizeadvertising sales revenue while meeting advertising goals under certainresource constraints. The amount of revenue brought in from outsidesales of advertising inventory may depend on the networks and times forwhich the sold advertisements will play. In general, there may be atrade-off between inventory use for internal marketing, for example, bya cable television system provider, and outside advertising sales.Embodiments may be configured to provide an increase in the amount ofvaluable inventory that may be used for advertising sales whileconsidering marketing reach constraints as well as other resourceconstraints, such as those related to the network provider's capacity todeliver addressable advertising.

According to some embodiments, the content optimization system maycomprise an allocation model including allocation information associatedwith the distribution of content within the universe of inventory,including targets and definable elements, such as particular time slotsduring particular time segments, programming, and the like. A feedbackloop may access viewing data and operate to update the allocation modelbased on changes in the viewing data. For instance, the feedback loopmay update the allocation model as to the progress of advertisingcampaigns toward their segment reach goals.

The content optimization system may be configured to manage network orother communication system internal marketing and to balance internalmarketing goals with revenue objectives associated with inventory salesto outside entities, such as content service providers and advertisers.For example, a cable television network may have an internal advertisingcampaign consisting of content marketing their services as part of acampaign to retain subscribers, generate subscription packages, and toobtain new subscribers. The cable television network may want to achieveits own marketing campaign goals (for example, reach and CPM goals), butnot at the expense of advertising revenue. In another example, atelevision channel transmitted through a satellite television networkmay have an internal advertising campaign promoting one or more programsbroadcast over the network. According to embodiments, the internal cablemarketing spots may be allocated in such a way as to hit reach thecampaign as efficiently as possible while leaving higher value inventoryfor advertising sales.

The content optimization system may be configured according toembodiments to model the value of inventory based on network/timeconsiderations combined with the value of the resource available at thattime. For example, if video-on-demand (VOD) content consumes moreresources on a particular night, resources at that time may be valued ata premium. In another example, if advertiser demand for a resource at agiven time is high, the value of that resource will also be high.

In an embodiment, one or more resource constraints may be used by thecontent optimization system to manage resources within the universe ofinventory. A resource constraint may comprise any type of restriction,limitation, or the like, that affects the placement of content in aninventory slot. Non-limiting examples of constraints includetechnological constraints (for instance, bandwidth, technologicalcapabilities of target devices, networks, only a certain number ofaddressable content offerings may be presented at a given time due tobandwidth limitations, or the like), zone constraints, monetaryconstraints (for example, inventory slots below a particular value), orthe like. The resource constraints may be balanced against the value ofthe segments being targeted.

The content optimization system may access viewing data in real-time,substantially real-time, and/or based on historical data. The viewingdata may comprise information associated with recipients, content,goals, impressions, or combinations thereof. For example, the viewingdata may indicate how many recipients viewed or otherwise interactedwith content, such as viewing an advertisement or viewing a televisionprogram in which an inventory slot was sold for a particularadvertisement. In another example, the viewing data may operate toconfirm the number of impressions by segment to assess progress towardreach goals for one or more content offerings. The viewing data may beobtained individually and/or simultaneously from various sources fromwithin different zones, including, without limitation, set-top-boxes,televisions, satellite radio devices, computing devices (for example,personal computers, laptops, tablet computing devices, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), smart phones, or the like), network equipment (forexample, data servers, routers, switches, or the like), and combinationsthereof.

Marketing campaigns may operate for a predetermined amount of timeand/or until one or more specific goals (for example, reach) have beenaccomplished. As the campaign is running, the viewing data may beretrieved on a regular basis. In an embodiment, the viewing data mayprovide information associated with the progress and/or success thathave been made toward one or more goals. The content optimization systemmay access one or more filtering rules configured to filter the viewingdata to ensure that the desired impressions are counted towardadvertising goals.

In an embodiment, the viewing data may be used to re-optimize howcontent, such as advertisements, are allocated within the universe ofinventory. In a non-limiting example, an advertising campaign involvingmultiple target segments. A first segment may have exceeded the assignedreach and frequency goals. Accordingly, the future inventory may beoptimally and dynamically re-assigned to a second segment which isunderperforming with regards to reach and frequency.

According to some embodiments, the content optimization system mayfunction under various levels of addressability. For instance, contentmay be targeted to various levels, including, without limitation, acable zone level, a household level, a device or class of device (forexample, mobile devices), or combinations thereof. On a cable zonelevel, household specific viewing data and demographic data may beaggregated by segment type in order to optimize ad allocation as arotation across zones, networks, and dayparts (for example, morning rushhour, evening rush hour, overnight, primetime, or the like). In anembodiment, optimization may comprise using incomplete information suchas viewing data from a limited sample of set-top boxes, computingdevices, radio receivers, or other recipients. The content optimizationsystem may be configured to drive improvement in content allocationoptimization through improving aggregation methods of the incompletedata. According to some embodiments, such aggregation methods mayinvolve combining various data sources, including data from set-topboxes, demographic vectors, segments, or other available consumer datasources. The content optimization system may be configured according toembodiments to optimize allocations through the use of linearprogramming methods or through the use of a competitive economic model,for example, where content an content providers compete for the use ofresources such as bandwidth, valuable inventory, and target recipients.

The allocation model may be re-optimized dynamically and automaticallyby the content optimization system according to the viewing data. Forinstance, the allocation model may be updated at regular intervals (forexample, every half hour, hourly, daily, weekly, or the like) tore-optimize based on viewing data and/or to monitor the progress of acampaign. The content optimization system may provide an allocationmodel configured as an idealized schedule which allows an advertiser,including an internal marketer, to achieve their target audience asefficiently as possible while maximizing the potential for outsiderevenue, such as outside advertisers. Accordingly, embodiments mayprovide for the allocation of internal marketing spots as well as thoseof multiple outside advertisers, who also have reach goals for differentsegments of the viewing population.

According to some embodiments, both an internal marketing allocationmodel and an external marketing allocation model may be implementedsimultaneously, for example, on a household addressability platform,where every set-top box may be targeted, or on a cable zone level, whereeach cable zone may be targeted. For each allocation model, there may bea feedback loop of viewing data to adjust spot allocation based onactual viewership as it relates to the intended reach goals.

FIG. 9 depicts a flow diagram of a method for dynamically generating anallocation optimization model for advertising content according to someembodiments. As shown in FIG. 9, various data inputs may be used togenerate an allocation optimization model 945 for one or more goals,such as maximizing advertising sales revenue, minimizing unusedinventory slots, or the like. One set of data inputs may comprise anavailable inventory 905 input, an inventory value 910 input and aresource constraints 915 input. An available inventory 905 input maycomprise inventory available for presenting content, such as thenetworks and times for which an advertisement may be presented to one ormore targets. An inventory value 910 input may comprise the monetaryvalue that a network operator may charge a content provide for theavailable inventory 905. A resource constraint 915 input may comprisethe resource constraints associated with the inventory, such as aparticular inventory slot, target, zone, or the like.

Another set of inputs may comprise an advertiser goals 920 input, anadvertiser segments 925 input, and an estimated reach segment 930 input.The advertiser goals 920 input may comprise one or more particular goalsassociated with a particular advertisement, such as reach and frequency.A non-limiting example provides that advertiser goals 920 may includethat a spot for a high speed Internet advertisement should reach1,000,000 recipients with an average frequency of 7. An advertisersegments 925 input may comprise one or more segments and/or combinationsof segments that are an intended target for the associatedadvertisement. For instance, an advertisement may be associated withsegments in which the intended audience includes households with ahousehold income of greater than $75,000/yr and a household age range16-49). The estimated segment reach 930 input may comprise the number ofhousehold in the targeted segment that may see the advertisement duringa specified network and/or time slot. According to some embodiments, theestimated segment reach 930 input may be based on various data sources,including, without limitation, ratings data, historical viewing data,third-party data, or combinations thereof.

As shown in FIG. 9, the allocation optimization model 945 may be used togenerate an optimized advertising schedule 935. The optimizedadvertising schedule 935 may interact with one or more viewingdata/filtering rules 940 to update and re-optimize the allocationoptimization model 945. The viewing data/filtering rules 940 may includeinformation associated with viewer impressions of the advertising and/orother content as well as a set of rules configured to filteradvertisements, inventory slots, goals, or the like based on the viewingdata. An illustrative and non-restrictive example provides that onlyimpressions with a last user action within three hours counts toward theadvertiser goals 920.

According to some embodiments, an optimization model may be run at thebeginning of an advertising campaign to determine the best allocation ofspots across multiple advertisers who may each have multiple spots withdifferent goals. For instance, advertising spots may be allocated tomaximize advertising inventory value for outside advertisers. As such,the allocation optimization model 945 may be configured to meetadvertiser goals as well as satisfying the resource constraints 915 andother limitations based on additional inputs 905, 910, 920, 925, 930. Asthe advertising campaign progresses, the viewing data 940 may be used toupdate the allocation optimization model 945 and, therefore, generate anupdated, re-optimized ad schedule 935.

In an embodiment in which at least one advertiser is an internaladvertiser for the inventory provider, the allocation optimization model945 may operate to meet the internal marketing advertising goals withthe least valuable inventory in order to preserver higher valueinventory for outside advertises for generating revenue. For example,then internal advertiser may comprise a satellite television providerseeking to advertise its services to subscribers. The satellitetelevision provider may attempt to meet reach goals for the advertisingby taking up a substantial portion of typically unused or low-valueinventory slots and attempt to obtain reach goals through numerous,low-value presentations. In this manner, the satellite televisionprovider may save higher value inventory slots for outside advertisers.

FIG. 10 depicts a block diagram of exemplary internal hardware that maybe used to contain or implement program instructions, such as themodules and/or process steps discussed above in reference to FIGS. 8 and9 and/or the user interfaces depicted in FIGS. 1-7, according to someembodiments. A bus 1000 serves as the main information highwayinterconnecting the other illustrated components of the hardware. CPU1005 is the central processing unit of the system, performingcalculations and logic operations required to execute a program. CPU1005 is an exemplary processing device, computing device or processor assuch terms are using in this disclosure. Read only memory (ROM) 1010 andrandom access memory (RAM) 1015 constitute exemplary memory devices.

A controller 1020 interfaces with one or more optional memory devices1025 to the system bus 1000. These memory devices 1025 may include, forexample, an external or internal DVD drive, a CD ROM drive, a harddrive, flash memory, a USB drive or the like. As indicated previously,these various drives and controllers are optional devices.

Program instructions, software or interactive modules for providing thedigital marketplace and performing analysis on any received feedback maybe stored in the ROM 1010 and/or the RAM 1015. Optionally, the programinstructions may be stored on a tangible computer readable medium suchas a compact disk, a digital disk, flash memory, a memory card, a USBdrive, an optical disc storage medium, such as a Blu-Ray™ disc, and/orother recording medium.

An optional display interface 1030 may permit information from the bus1000 to be displayed on the display 1035 in audio, visual, graphic oralphanumeric format. Communication with external devices may occur usingvarious communication ports 1040. An exemplary communication port 1040may be attached to a communications network, such as the Internet or anintranet. Other exemplary communication ports 1040 may comprise a serialport, a RS-232 port, and a RS-485 port.

The hardware may also include an interface 1045 which allows for receiptof data from input devices such as a keyboard 1050 or other input device1055 such as a mouse, a joystick, a touch screen, a remote control, apointing device, a video input device, and/or an audio input device.

Computer program logic implementing all or part of the functionalitypreviously described herein may be embodied in various forms, including,but in no way limited to, a source code form, a computer executableform, and various intermediate forms (for example, forms generated by anassembler, compiler, linker, or locator). Source code may include aseries of computer program instructions implemented in any of variousprogramming languages (e.g., an object code, an assembly language, or ahigh-level language such as Fortran, C, C++, JAVA, or HTML) for use withvarious operating systems or operating environments. The source code maydefine and use various data structures and communication messages. Thesource code may be in a computer executable form (e.g., via aninterpreter), or the source code may be converted (e.g., via atranslator, assembler, or compiler) into a computer executable form.

The computer program may be fixed in a non-transitory form (for example,a source code form, a computer executable form, an intermediate form, orcombinations thereof) in a tangible storage medium, such as asemiconductor memory device (e.g., a RAM, ROM, PROM, EEPROM, orFlash-Programmable RAM), a magnetic memory device (e.g., a diskette orfixed disk), an optical memory device (e.g., a CD-ROM), a PC card (e.g.,PCMCIA card), or other memory device. The computer program may be fixedin any form in a signal that is transmittable to a computer using any ofvarious communication technologies, including, but in no way limited to,analog technologies, digital technologies, optical technologies,wireless technologies (e.g., Bluetooth), networking technologies, andinternetworking technologies. The computer program may be distributed inany form as a removable storage medium with accompanying printed orelectronic documentation (e.g., shrink-wrapped software), preloaded witha computer system (e.g., on system ROM or fixed disk), or distributedfrom a server or electronic bulletin board over the communication system(e.g., the Internet or World Wide Web).

Hardware logic (including programmable logic for use with a programmablelogic device) implementing all or part of the functionality previouslydescribed herein may be designed using traditional manual methods, ormay be designed, captured, simulated, or documented electronically usingvarious tools, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), a hardwaredescription language (e.g., VHDL or AHDL), or a PLD programming language(e.g., PALASM, ABEL, or CUPL).

It will further be appreciated that the above-described methods andprocedures may be provided using the systems disclosed herein, or onother types of systems. The methods and procedures, unless expresslylimited, are not intended to be read to require particular actors orsystems performing particular elements of the methods.

In the preceding specification, the present invention has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments thereof. It will,however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be madethereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of thepresent invention. The description and drawings are accordingly to beregarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a receiver configured toreceive, from a first server, first information comprising a targetednumber of impressions of internal marketing content and a targetednumber of impressions of external marketing content to be distributedvia a network; a processor configured to determine available inventorycomprising a plurality of time slots for distributing content via thenetwork; the receiver further configured to receive, from a secondserver, second information comprising ratings data associated with eachof a plurality of computing devices during the plurality of time slots;the processor further configured to determine, based on the availableinventory and the second information, a content distribution schedulefor distributing the external marketing content and the internalmarketing content to the plurality of computing devices, wherein thecontent distribution schedule is configured to first achieve thetargeted number of impressions of the external marketing content usingthe available inventory and then achieve the targeted number ofimpressions of the internal marketing content using remaining inventory;a transmitter configured to transmit, to the plurality of computingdevices via the network, the external marketing content and the internalmarketing content based on the content distribution schedule; thereceiver further configured to receive feedback information comprisingviewing data associated with the external marketing content and theinternal marketing content; and the processor further configured todetermine, based on the feedback information, an updated contentdistribution schedule.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the viewingdata is filtered using at least one filtering rule based on at least oneof a market or a marketing campaign.
 3. The system of claim 2, whereinthe at least one filtering rule is configured to filter the viewing datato ensure that only desired impressions within the viewing data arecounted toward the targeted number of impressions of the externalmarketing content and targeted number of impressions of the internalmarketing content.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the contentdistribution schedule is further based on at least one resourceconstraint comprising a bandwidth limitation.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the content distribution schedule is further based on at leastone resource constraint comprising a monetary constraint comprising atime slot value threshold.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the contentdistribution schedule is further based on at least one resourceconstraint comprising a zone constraint.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the viewing data comprises impressions of the content.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the feedback information is received inreal-time.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the updated contentdistribution schedule is determined in real-time.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the targeted number of impressions of the externalmarketing content is achieved by first scheduling time slots of theplurality of time slots with highest ratings data values to the externalmarketing content first.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least onecomputing device of the plurality of computing devices is a set-top-box.12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one computing device of theplurality of computing devices is a mobile computing device.
 13. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the internal marketing content comprisesadvertising content associated with the network and the externalmarketing content comprises advertising content associated with at leastone outside advertiser.
 14. A method comprising: receiving, from a firstserver, first information comprising a targeted number of impressions ofinternal marketing content and a targeted number of impressions ofexternal marketing content to be distributed via a network; determiningavailable inventory comprising a plurality of time slots fordistributing content via the network; receiving, from a second server,second information comprising ratings data associated with each of aplurality of computing devices during the plurality of time slots;determining, based on the available inventory and the secondinformation, a content distribution schedule for distributing theexternal marketing content and the internal marketing content to theplurality of computing devices, wherein the content distributionschedule is configured to first achieve the targeted number ofimpressions of the external marketing content using the availableinventory and then achieve the targeted number of impressions of theinternal marketing content using remaining inventory; transmitting, tothe plurality of computing devices via the network, the externalmarketing content and the internal marketing content based on thecontent distribution schedule; receiving, via the network, feedbackinformation comprising viewing data associated with the externalmarketing content and the internal marketing content; and determining,based on the feedback information, an updated content distributionschedule.
 15. The method of claim 14 the viewing data is filtered usingat least one filtering rule based on at least one of a market or amarketing campaign.
 16. The method of claim 14 wherein the updatedcontent distribution schedule is determined in real-time.
 17. The methodof claim 14, wherein the internal marketing content comprisesadvertising content associated with the network and the externalmarketing content comprises advertising content associated with at leastone outside advertiser.
 18. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by aprocessor of a computing device, cause the computing device to performoperations comprising: receiving, from a first server, first informationcomprising a targeted number of impressions of internal marketingcontent and a targeted number of impressions of external marketingcontent to be distributed via a network; determining available inventorycomprising a plurality of time slots for distributing content via thenetwork; receiving, from a second server, second information comprisingratings data associated with each of a plurality of computing devicesduring the plurality of time slots; determining, based on the availableinventory and the second information, a content distribution schedulefor distributing the external marketing content and the internalmarketing content to the plurality of computing devices, wherein thecontent distribution schedule is configured to first achieve thetargeted number of impressions of the external marketing content usingthe available inventory and then achieve the targeted number ofimpressions of the internal marketing content using remaining inventory;transmitting, to the plurality of computing devices via the network, theexternal marketing content and the internal marketing content based onthe content distribution schedule; receiving, via the network, feedbackinformation comprising viewing data associated with the externalmarketing content and the internal marketing content; and determining,based on the feedback information, an updated content distributionschedule.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 18 wherein the viewing data is filtered using at least onefiltering rule based on at least one of a market or a marketingcampaign.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 18, wherein the updated content distribution schedule isdetermined in real-time.